Budapest is a city brimming with beautiful and iconic architecture. Photos of Fisherman’s Bastion, the thermal baths or parliament building are some of the most recognisable in Europe. After my delight at exploring Rome at sunrise, I’m absolutely convinced this is the best way to see a city’s sights. I was excited to put it to the test again on my visit to Budapest.
Visiting in October meant the early morning sun was weak, which made sunrise even more golden. The russet autumn tones perfectly complemented sunrise over Budapest’s striking landmarks. From enchanting fortresses to cardboard castles, these three DIY tours of Budapest visit the beautiful and historic sites before the rest of the tourists are awake.
Fisherman’s Bastion
My aim was to arrive at Fisherman’s Bastion before all the other tourists. The idea of prancing around the fortress’s grand staircases and pointed towers as they remained deserted at sunrise brought me so much joy! I could myself as Eowyn, gazing out over the city from her hilltop castle ( . . . except without the despotism, and the orcs).
The bastion sits on top of Buda’s Castle Hill, and we climbed that morning beneath a dark, grey sky. Yet as we crested the hill around 7 a.m., the sun broke through the overcast clouds and we were treated to an incredible display. My first impression of Fisherman’s Bastion was its white stone soaked in the golden light of sunrise. This scene was intensified by the yellow, gold and brown tones of autumn on the surrounding trees. It was so breathtaking that instead of running up the steps to explore, we stood beneath the bastion, staring up in awe and surprise.
Though we’d beat the other tourists, I hadn’t realised that Fisherman’s Bastion is a popular route for dog walkers, school children and morning commuters. As we stared up at the golden turrets, they sauntered down the steps like they’d seen it all before.
In contrast, we spent so long admiring this view that by the time we climbed the steps the sun had gone in. It didn’t make another appearance for the remainder of the day. Of the many photos I took at Fisherman’s Bastion, barely any represent the golden autumn sunlight we witnessed. It was so quick and deeply golden that it seemed surreal. My few photos that capture it look bizarre next to the moody skies of the rest of that morning.
Matthias Church & Holy Trinity Square
Encircled by Fisherman’s Bastion, the three look as though they were built together. Matthias Church was originally founded in the 11th century. However, what stands in the square now is a neo-Gothic interpretation of what the church once looked like. The colourful, hexagonal tiles make a striking contrast to the white stone of Fisherman’s Bastion. I thought it was a bit like if the mystique of Hogwarts met the decoration of 1970s . . . except Hungarian and actually quite tasteful.
Standing proudly between Matthias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion is a jade green statue that depicts not Matthias (I still don’t know who he is), but King Stephen I. The first king of Hungary established Christianity across the country, and was apparently made a saint for his troubles. Like the roof of Matthias Church, I loved that King Stephen’s statue also strikes an impressive colour contrast with the surrounding architecture. Perched high on his horse above the square, empty at sunrise, the king looked all the more regal.
Nearby, the Holy Trinity Column is less obtrusive. Unlike Matthias Church and King Stephen’s statue, it was built over three centuries ago and is rather less colourful. Intended to ward off the Black Death, construction began on the statue in 1700. However, the plague returned in 1709 so they halted the building work in order to build an even bigger statue that could definitely ward off the Black Death, properly this time. And the plague has never since returned to Budapest, so who am I to doubt them?
Parliament Building
The red dome and symmetrical spires of Budapest’s parliament building are one of the city’s most recognisable sights. Like most of the famous landmarks contributing to Budapest’s skyline, the parliament building is lit up at night. I desperately wanted to witness this, especially with its intricate reflection in the River Danube. As I was getting up early for sunrise anyway, it seemed sensible to do this in the morning.
Emerging from the metro station in Buda at 6 a.m., I immediately realised that the lights I’d so wanted to see weren’t even on. It transpires that they are actually switched off at midnight to conserve energy (I can’t argue with that). Nevertheless, I continued to walk along the river opposite the parliament building, refusing to stop until the dome was perfectly centred between the two innermost spires. With nearly an hour left until sunrise, we took a seat on the bank.
This was the first time in a long while that I’d sat at sunrise purely with the intention of watching the sky change. With nothing between me and Parliament except the Danube, which at that hour was undisturbed, the scene was very peaceful.
My favourite aspect was the addition of the aeroplane vapour trails. Google Maps has since informed me that one of Budapest’s airports is to the east of the city, appearing behind the parliament building when seen from Buda. Planes taking off and landing in the early hours left beautiful trails through the sky that looked as though they were emanating from Parliament itself.
Shoes of the Danube
For some reason, this memorial is omitted from half the Budapest itineraries that I found. I don’t want to get too poetic, but it’s quite ironic that Budapest’s stunning architecture is renowned while this rustic memorial is overlooked. The forty pairs of cast iron shoes along the bank of the Danube commemorate the thousands of lives lost by Magyar citizens during late WWII.
We arrived an hour or so after sunrise. Across the river, the banks of Buda were drenched in sun. Fisherman’s Bastion, St Matthias Church and Buda Castle were glowing, making them appear even more spectacular. Where we stood on the banks of Pest, however, the Shoes of the Danube memorial was still in shadow. It made for a pretty humbling contrast.
St Stephen’s Basilica
Named for the first King of Hungary, St Stephen’s Basilica is the best place in Pest to view the city. At 96 metres, St Stephen’s Basilica is exactly the same height as Budapest’s parliament building. They are the two tallest buildings in the city, and it is illegal for any building to surpass them. Their equal heights symbolise that neither religion nor the state is more important than the other.
Climbing the basilica tower early in the morning meant we had a great view of the Budapest sites we had already visited. The sun was still tucked to the east behind the basilica and we had a perfect view towards Buda and the Danube. The Parliament Building, Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle and St Matthias Church were in full view, dappled in golden sunlight.
Heroes’ Square
In contrast to the previous mornings, we spent our third and final sunrise away from the River Danube. Built in 1896, to commemorate 1000 years of Hungary, Heroes’ Square is dedicated to celebrating Hungarian history. The monument marks the entrance to City Park in Pest. We approached head on from Andrassy Avenue, one of the city’s main shopping streets, and the square loomed out of the dawn.
Not to be deterred by the building work taking place, or the lack of zebra crossings during morning rush hour, we eventually arrived at Heroes’ Square. At first I was shocked: though the sun wasn’t yet above the horizon, the square was full of people. Having dragged myself out of bed before dawn for the third morning in the row, about 100 people now stood at the base of the square’s central column, blocking any decent view. Honestly, I couldn’t believe that so many people had woken before us to arrive earlier than sunrise. Outrageous! How dare they! Sunrise was supposed to be my time alone with the city!
Then, as if they sensed my frustration on the chilly morning breeze, they trooped as one away from the square and out of sight. As the sun snuck weakly though the pillars of the colonnades, all that was left in Heroes’ Square was us and the pigeons.
Vajdahunyad Castle
Vajdahunyad Castle was also built in 1896 to celebrate a millennium of modern day Hungary. As part of the Millennial Exhibition, it was originally built from cardboard and wood (which sounds ridiculously soggy and unstable!). However, it became so popular with the locals that less than 10 years later it was rebuilt in stone.
I loved it too! Admittedly, it’s quite bizarre. I got a very Transylvanian vibe from its dark towers (turns out it was based on a Transylvanian castle). However, it’s actually an agricultural museum. We walked across the wide bridge and under the raised portcullis that, jarringly, had ‘Museum’ painted brightly on it.
Inside the courtyard was equally strange and beautiful. The buildings that make up the complex—a church, a courtyard, the castle, the castle walls—are an exhibition of the evolution of Hungarian architecture. It did feel a little bit like walking through a Hungarian Disneyland, except that we were the only people there.
Because it was deserted and the sunrise was only just beginning to peer through the autumn leaves, it reminded me of a film set or a model village—or at the very least an absurdly lifelike painting. Yet we took another few steps and were back in the mundane City Park again. A beautiful, but bizarre, part of Budapest.
Szechenyi Baths
Although it was on my list, we didn’t get to Szechenyi Baths because sadly we had to catch our flight. As the capital city with the most medicinal and thermal water springs in the world, Budapest is known as the City of Spas. If we’d had time, I would have loved to finish our autumnal sunrise session in the heat of the thermals baths. They’re located in City Park, along with Heroes’ Square and Vajdahunyad Castle, so it was nearly the perfect opportunity!
I don’t think Szechenyi Baths would have been empty like the rest of the city at sunrise. Though visiting a spa is a top tourist thing to do in Budapest, apparently the locals also enjoy the thermal baths. Arriving just after sunrise would probably mean avoiding the boozy tourist crowd and instead soaking with the locals. It would have been great to quietly enjoy the sun rising through the copious steam of the thermal baths.
Once again, setting my alarm for sunrise ended up being the best way to visit Budapest’s landmarks. The golden, autumnal tones of sunrise were unbeatable. Though it was cold and fairly exhausting, Budapest’s beautiful and iconic sites were at their best during the undisturbed silence of dawn.
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